


The Stasis Room

by penguinluv129



Category: DuckTales (Cartoon 2017)
Genre: Angst/Comfort, Comfort, F/M, First Kiss, First Meetings, Kissing, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 18:01:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18036209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/penguinluv129/pseuds/penguinluv129
Summary: Della Duck wakes up to find herself in a room, all alone. When the door opens, she comes face to face with the first person she’s seen in a long time.Originally a quick drabble request but I got carried away.





	The Stasis Room

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ChuGottaWay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChuGottaWay/gifts).



> Originally this was a request on tumblr to do as a warm up, but I got carried away and made it a full fic. I might do a part two later to finish it off. I’m sorry if it feels rushed, but I wanted to get this out before the new episode rolls out and we end up on hiatus again.  
> Love ya!  
> ~Alex

 

The walls of the white sterile room blinded Della as she opened her eyes. She rested on a firm cot in a corner of the room, the pillow underneath her head unusually plushy and soft. She got up and spun her head across the room, examining every detail she could. There were no doors. Her only companion was a black bulb in the corner of the room.

“Camera.” She said, staring up at it. She turned her body and sat up. A glistening silver flash caught her eye. Della took a look down at her metal leg and sighed.

It hit the tile floor with a clunk, and she stood, staring at the camera.

“Hello? Creepy camera watcher person? What’s the big idea?”

“YOU’RE HERE UNTIL WE CAN DECIDE IF YOU’RE HEALTHY ENOUGH FOR THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE. THIS STASIS CHAMBER IS A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT SIMILAR TO YOUR EXPERIENCE LIVING ON THE MOON.” A robotic voice bellowed from the camera bulb.

“Healthy enough? Excuse me?”

“YOUR BODY HAD ADJUSTED ITSELF TO THE LACK OF GRAVITY ON THE MOON. WHEN YOU RETURNED TO THE EARTH’S ATMOSPHERE, YOUR BODY GAVE OUT DUE TO THE PRESSURE OF THE EARTH’S GRAVITATIONAL PULL. THIS ROOM WILL KEEP YOU STABILIZED AND SLOWLY INTRODUCE MORE GRAVITY AS TIME GOES ON. NOT TO MENTION THAT THE LONG LASTING USE OF OXY CHEW HAD SOME...SIDE EFFECTS.”

“What kind of ‘side effects’ are we talkin’ about here?”

“YOU HAVE A...LIMITED ABILITY TO PROCESS OXYGEN NATURALLY IN OUR ATMOSPHERE. THE LONG TERM DEPENDENCY OF OXY CHEW HAS CAUSED A DEFICIENCY IN YOUR LUNG’S NATURAL PROCESSES.”

Della sat on the edge of the bed. “So I can’t breathe on Earth.”

“...NO...NO YOU CAN’T...I’M SORRY.”

She sighed and laid onto the bed, curling up. “So I can’t see my kids...my uncle...my brother...without being unable to breathe?”

“AGAIN...I AM TERRIBLY SORRY. IF THERE’S ANYTHING I CAN DO-”

“There’s nothing you can do, you soulless A.I.” Della huffed and curled herself even tighter.

“EXCUSE ME, BUT I AM NOT A SOULLESS A.I. I AM AN ACTUAL PERSON. A NAME AND EVERYTHING.”

Della turned to the camera. “You’re a person? Not some robot Gyro made to watch me?”

“NOPE. SCROOGE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WERE TALKING TO AN ACTUAL PERSON. GYRO DIDN’T WANT TO USE ME INITIALLY SO THAT’S WHY MY VOICE IS MODULATED INTO A ROBOT VOICE CHANGER.”

She snickered, her shoulders bouncing as she tried to suppress her laughter. “Gyro can be a real ass can’t he?”

“I MEAN, HE IS A GENIUS INVENTOR, BUT I WOULDN’T WANT TO-”

“Gyro is an ass. He made the Oxy Chew taste like black licorice.”

“...OH MY...THAT IS TERRIBLE!” The robotic voice laughed with Della. She smiled and sat up.

“What’s your name?”

“FENTON.”

“Nice to meet you, Fenton.” She crossed her legs and leaned back against the wall beside her bed. “How long do I have in here?”

“MAYBE A MONTH OR TWO. DEPENDS ON HOW YOUR VITALS REACT.”

Della sighed and looked up to the blank ceiling. “Well I better get used to the solitude.”

“YOU WON’T BE ALONE. WE DO HAVE A FEW GRAVITY IMPACT SUITS FOR VISITORS TO COME IN AND SAY HELLO.”

“Visitors?” Della leaned forward, hands gripping the tightly tucked blanket on the cot. “I can have visitors here?”

“YES, BUT THE SUITS FOR THE CHILDREN AREN’T READY YET. TO BE HONEST THE SPACE SUITS FOR THE CHILDREN WEREN’T PROPERLY MADE FOR THE TRIP UP TO RESCUE YOU.”

The air in her throat tightened. “Are my kids okay? Are they-”

“YOUR KIDS ARE FINE, DELLA.”

Her body relaxed. She felt a tingle in her stomach that rose and receded with a loud growl.

“HUNGRY I TAKE IT?”

“Well you heard my gut,” Della snickered. “So does the food magically appear or what? Or is it dehydrated astronaut crap? Anything better than black licorice flavored gum.”

The speaker screeched for a few seconds. “SORRY. MIC FEEDBACK. LAUNCHPAD WILL BE IN WITH A TRAY OF FOOD.”

Della cocked her head to the side. “Who’s Launchpa-”

A panel on the wall hissed and moved forward, swinging to the side. A tall, broad shouldered man wearing an astronaut style space suit entered the room, holding a cream colored plastic tray with a lid atop it. He had a red backpack over his shoulder. Della made out the chiseled chin on his bottom beak, and the fluffy mop of red hair on his head. Her jaw dropped.

“Hi I’m Launchpad! Nice to meet you, Dewey’s mom!” He said with a smile.

Della’s ears pounded from the sound of her heart beat. She watched him place the tray beside her on the bed.

“LAUNCHPAD I CAN GET THE TABLE AND CHAIR HOLD UP.”

A wall panel flipped over, revealing an egg shaped booth and table that was attached to the wall. 

“Oh wow! Thank you Mr. Robot!”

“LAUNCHPAD FOR THE 525,600th TIME, I AM NOT A ROBOT!”

“Nice try, that’s exactly what a robot would say.” Launchpad lifted up the tray and placed it at the single seat booth. 

“Ssskkkkk-” Della snickered, her cheeks getting warm. She followed him to the table. “A robot would say that.”

Launchpad lifted up the tray lid. “Dinner is served!”

Della looked down at the plate. “Nachos?”

“LAUNCHPAD YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO GIVE HER THE TRAY OF THE FOOD THAT GYRO TOLD YOU TO GIVE.”

“But these aren’t ordinary nachos. These are Carne Asada Nachos. Juicy carne asada, cheese, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo that I was told was not ‘pico,’ atop a mountain of crispy, salty tortilla chips.” Della’s mouth salivated at every word that came out of Launchpad’s mouth.

Fenton’s groaned through the robotic filter.

“What’s to drink?” Della pointed at the two cream colored bottles on the tray. 

“Well this one is water, and the other is horchata. Its like this creamy, cinnamon rice milk-”

“I know what horchata is.” Della grabbed the horchata bottle and took a swig. “Oh God that’s good.” She looked back at Launchpad, staring at her reflection in the glass of the helmet. Launchpad’s eyes were pointed downwards at her metal leg.

“Do you want to know about it?” She raised an eyebrow.

“No! I...I mean, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare! It's just it looks-”

“Weird?” She sighed. “I had to make do with what I could on the moon-”

“No. It looks cool.” Bit of fog clouded up the inside of his helmet. “AHHH! I can’t see!”

“LAUNCHPAD, HOLD UP.” Fenton’s robot filtered voice boomed. Launchpad’s suit began to beep and hiss, the fog finally dissipating. Della hid another giggle as she sipped the horchata again. She watched him and drew her eyes up and down his figure as he walked to the bed and sat.

“Are you gonna eat?” Launchpad asked, gesturing his space suit gloved hand toward the table behind her. Her face went red and she inhaled sharply, choking on a sip of horchata. 

“ACK! Yea, ka-oooh!” Della coughed, the cinnamon drying up her throat. She gagged and spat out a chunk of rice onto the floor.

“Oh yeah, be careful for those Mrs. Della. Horchata is a cinnamon rice milk-”

“I-” Della coughed. “I know what horchata is.” She said, recovering herself. She turned to the booth and sat, placing the cup on the table. She picked up a chip and scooped up as much sour cream and guacamole she could, the cheese creating a sturdy layer holding the steaming carne asada on top. She shoved the chip in her mouth and threw her head back, hitting the wall of the booth. 

Della slammed her fist on the table, a guttural groan coming from her. “Oh God that is the most delicious thing I’ve had in ten years!” She scrambled to grab another chip and shoveled as much as she could into each bite, stuffing her face. 

Launchpad watched in awe as she saw her scarf down a third of the plate within minutes. Della looked up from her hunger induced rampage and stared back at him. The fog in his suit helmet returned. Della’s cheeks went red and she frantically searched for a napkin to wipe the guacamole that she felt on her cheek. 

“Oh! I have a present for you Mrs. Della!” Launchpad exclaimed, reaching for the small red backpack on his shoulder. He struggled trying to get the kid’s sized backpack off, falling onto the floor. Della giggled and wiped off her cheek. She got up and walked over to Launchpad, now on the floor and still struggling with the strap.

“Lemme help you with that.” Della took the strap of the backpack and slipped it off his arm. 

“Gee, thank you Mrs. Della.” Launchpad sat criss cross on the floor and smiled at her.

“Please stop calling me ‘Mrs. Della.’ It’s just ‘Della.’” She smiled and sat on the edge of the bed, zipping open the bag.

“No problem...Della.” Launchpad nodded and through the fading fog on the helmet, she caught a glimpse of his red cheeks flushing. The sound of his voice saying her name brought a warmth up her arms that faded instantly upon looking inside the backpack.

“What...is...is this all from-”

“The kids wanted me to give you a bag of things so you wouldn’t be bored while in here. There’s a few comics, a tablet, Alma’s knick knack…”

Della laughed. “An almanac.”

“Yeah, That’s what Huey called it.” Launchpad bit his lip. “I think there’s a photo in there somewhere.”

Launchpad reached over and dug into the bag and pulled out two framed photos. One was of Scrooge, Donald and Della around a nest of eggs. Della smiled at the familiar photo. She took the second frame in her hand and looked at this new photo. Donald was on his belly, his face clearly done with the trio of children smiling and posing for the camera. She stroked the face of the kid in blue.

“Is this?”

“Yeah, that’s my best friend Dewey!”

A tear welled in her eye. “I...I know him. He’s...I met him on Christmas when we were little. Took down a Wendigo with him and Donald...I didn’t know...he’s my son?” Della looked at the two other boys, her eyes filling up with water the longer she stared at the photo. Launchpad got up and took the photos from her hands, wrapping his arms around her.

“Hey, Della. It’s okay. Donald did an awesome job raising the boys. Huey- he’s the one with the red hat- he’s super smart and science-y. He’s also a great Junior Woodchuck. I should know, I’m the troop leader and he is way much better than me.”

Della burst into tears, hiccupping. Launchpad picked her up and sat her in his lap, letting her cry. 

“And Louie…oh, he is amazing. He’s really good with money and once he out-conned a con man that conned me. I’m pretty sure he’s like a mini-Scrooge but like, a kid.”

Launchpad looked down at the crying disaster that Della had become. Her tears were staining the suit, her face clenched in pain.

“And Dewey...he’s so talented, Della. He’s got his own talk show, he’s a DJ, and…” Launchpad held Della’s beak up to the helmet, focusing his eyes onto her bloodshot eyes. “We wouldn’t have been able to help rescue you off the moon if it wasn’t for Dewey. He never gave up on you.”

Della sniffled as Launchpad wiped a tear from her cheek. “I just...I miss the way things were...the way they used to be.” She hiccupped, looking away from Launchpad. “If I...didn’t leave...if I hadn’t been so reckless...I would have seen them grow up, I would still have both my legs, Donald wouldn’t look so old from all the stress of raising my kids alone-”

“But then they wouldn’t have the cool, moon surviving, adventurer, Della Duck!” Della looked up at him. “Do you know how proud the boys are of you? Dewey swears he’s gonna be an astronaut-president one day because of you! Huey wants you to tell him everything about how you survived on the moon! And Louie really wants to know how you could get away with stealing a rocket.”

He held her face in his hand.”You’re alive. You’re home. And they can’t wait to see you again.”

Della smiled, her heart fluttering in her chest. Hot air began to fill in her lungs, causing her normal, not metal leg to twitch.  “How is it the first man I meet in ten years is the kindest and sweetest guy in the world?”

They both leaned into each other, Della’s body trembling as she closed her eyes and pushed her beak forward. It hit the glass of the helmet.

“Oh, crap. I forgot...” Della’s cheeks went red as she laughed. Launchpad giggled nervously.

“It’s okay, I forgot too.” He smiled at her.

“HEY UM...GUYS?”

“Crap! You’re still here?” Della shrieked, jumping off of Launchpad’s lap. “You didn’t see any of that did you?”

“I...UM...TECHNICALLY I ONLY HEARD IT. I TURNED AWAY FROM THE MONITORS WHEN YOU STARTED CRYING.”

Della groaned, and rubbed her face.

“LAUNCHPAD, YOUR SUIT IS RUNNING OUT OF POWER. YOU’RE GONNA HAVE TO DOCK IN NOW.”

“Oh…” Launchpad got up, dejected.

“Want me to walk you to the door?” Della shrugged. They walked side by side to the entrance panel that Launchpad had come out of. He stopped right before the doorway. He turned to Della and smiled. “I’ll come back. I promise.”

“I kinda hope you do. I’d love for you to tell me all about my boys, and all the trouble they’ve caused Donald.” They both laughed. 

Launchpad turned around and looked at the loading dock ahead. His shoulders rose as he took a deep breath and put his hands on his helmet and unscrewed its base, releasing the air lock. He lifted the dome piece and threw it into the dock.

“LAUNCHPAD YOU CAN’T REMOVE YOUR HELMET! THE STASIS ROOM HAS AN ENVIRONMENT THAT OF THE MOON! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

Launchpad spun around and lifted Della into his arms. 

“Launchpad! What are you doing-“ 

Their beaks smashed together, Della gasping mid-kiss in shock. She felt the soft, warm touch of his lips feverishly pressed against hers. Della wrapped her arms around his neck, running his fluffy red hair through her fingertips. She felt his heart pounding out of his chest as she pressed herself closer to his body. Launchpad gently placed Della back onto the ground, their arms drifting on each other, trying to savor every last touch in this moment. Their lips pulled apart slowly as Launchpad stepped away from Della. He began to cough and gasp for air in the stasis room, the cold of the room filling his throat. 

“I’ll be back!” He yelled as hard as he could, breathlessly running backwards into the loading dock. He tripped and fell backwards over his helmet. The panel closed in front of Della, hissing. 

Della put her hand to her beak, touching the place where he once was. Her eyes went wide with shock.

“Wait what just happened?!”

“I MEAN YOU JUST KISSED LAUNCHPAD-“

“I know what I did! I just…” Della sighed and went back to the booth. She sat down and began to work through the nachos. “You know, I didn’t want to have any personal relationships until after I saw my kids...but...he is a really nice guy. And he seems to know them all very well.”

“MAY I SPEAK FREELY?”

Della looked up ahead at the camera. “I mean, sure?”

“MAYBE YOU’RE JUST FEELING ATTACHED TO THE FIRST PERSON YOU’VE PHYSICALLY SEEN ON EARTH...YOU WERE ALONE ON THE MOON FOR A VERY LONG TIME.”

“Probably.” Della sipped the horchata, taking care with each sip. “How long do you think I have in here?”

“WELL ACCORDING TO YOUR VITALS REPORT, YOU MIGHT BE IN HERE FOR ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE WEEKS. WE WOULD BE SLOWLY INTEGRATING THE EARTH’S ENVIRONMENT AND GRAVITY TO YOU HERE IN THIS CHAMBER AND MONITORING YOUR PROGRESS.”

“So four weeks…” Della picked up a chip. “Hmmm…I bet you I could do it in three.”


End file.
